Peter Steele is dead (again)

Rumors began swirling earlier tonight that Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele (born Petrus T. Ratajczyk) passed away earlier today, April 14th, 2010, reportedly of heart failure at the age of 48. Those rumors now look to have been confirmed.

I figured someone would post something regarding the passing of Mr. Steele.

Growing up I never listened to Carnivore, but I knew that Peter Steele was in that band after watching a Billzebub documentary on Death Metal and it's early influences (whether Carnivore actually had an influence on Death Metal or that was just a subjective opinion by Mr. Billzebub is not for me to say as I don't know the full history and importance of the band).

With that being said, sometime last year the jukebox at the Bar in which I am a regular got Carnivore's "Retaliation" their availability list to order. It took maybe three Saturdays before I began spinning Carnivore regularly at said jukebox. One day I decided to order both "Carnivore S/T" and "Retaliation" in the recently re-released digipack versions. Instantly I thought the albums were excellent but it took a few hundred compelled listens to truly appreciate what I had purchased.

Carnivore S/T and Retaliation both consumed my musical appetite in two different ways, the first being Speed Metal akin to Venom and the latter being one of the best exercises in Punk/Hardcore Crossover with a unique Black Sabbath influence. All of the songs seemed constructed in an epic style, giving them an edge over the likes of the other Speed Metal albums that I own which seemed straight forward in comparison. Not to say that Speed Metal lacks this element, as "Kill Em' All" by Metallica is very epic, but not to this degree.

Retaliation being my preferred of the two is what really blew me away though. Aggression like none other can be heard in every song, fast d-beats, three-chord guitar slashes with searing screams like he's being gutted during the entire take track by track. The production rivals even contemporary releases. Then each track contains sections in which the slowest of Black Sabbath's career is accented in movement and what feels like motifs at certain points.

Retaliation ultimately presented to me what I never thought Punk/Hardcore Crossover could be: Neo-Classical in the ANUS lens and definition. Lyrically, the theme of "Darkness" is presented uniquely in the mediums of topics such as gang warfare, urban violence, depression/suicidal emotions and nationalism in a country/genre that scorns the very idea of such.

I never got too much into Type-O-Negative, but from the two albums I own it doesn't seem like total shit. The first album, "Slow, Deep and Hard" apparently is unused Carnivore material with an stronger focus on urban doom and sludge. The other one I own is "October Rust" which seems like the Beatles gone Doompop with Ildjarn playing keyboards.

I am not saddened by Peter Steele's passing because if he truly was a Heathen (which he so strongly professed during his career in TON), then according to his metaphysical paradigm, he was Valhalla-bound.

I can say that Carnivore was indeed a pretty well respected band(particuarly for Retaliation) by many in the early New York Death Metal scene - whether or not they were all that influential is debatable of course. Either way, Steele seems to have been a decidedly joyless human being - I remember talking to him back in about '87 or so, and he was already this way. Life just doesn't seem to agree with everyone - it is, perhaps, a wonder he made it this long.

"Everyone is here for some greater good, and it doesn't have to be your own or my own - we're all part of God's plan... And... I pray - and this is gonna sound very strange - I pray for more pain. Because God always gives the heaviest stones to those who can lift them. And my name Peter happens to mean rock."

I figured someone would post something regarding the passing of Mr. Steele.

Growing up I never listened to Carnivore, but I knew that Peter Steele was in that band after watching a Billzebub documentary on Death Metal and it's early influences (whether Carnivore actually had an influence on Death Metal or that was just a subjective opinion by Mr. Billzebub is not for me to say as I don't know the full history and importance of the band).

With that being said, sometime last year the jukebox at the Bar in which I am a regular got Carnivore's "Retaliation" their availability list to order. It took maybe three Saturdays before I began spinning Carnivore regularly at said jukebox. One day I decided to order both "Carnivore S/T" and "Retaliation" in the recently re-released digipack versions. Instantly I thought the albums were excellent but it took a few hundred compelled listens to truly appreciate what I had purchased.

Carnivore S/T and Retaliation both consumed my musical appetite in two different ways, the first being Speed Metal akin to Venom and the latter being one of the best exercises in Punk/Hardcore Crossover with a unique Black Sabbath influence. All of the songs seemed constructed in an epic style, giving them an edge over the likes of the other Speed Metal albums that I own which seemed straight forward in comparison. Not to say that Speed Metal lacks this element, as "Kill Em' All" by Metallica is very epic, but not to this degree.

Retaliation being my preferred of the two is what really blew me away though. Aggression like none other can be heard in every song, fast d-beats, three-chord guitar slashes with searing screams like he's being gutted during the entire take track by track. The production rivals even contemporary releases. Then each track contains sections in which the slowest of Black Sabbath's career is accented in movement and what feels like motifs at certain points.

Retaliation ultimately presented to me what I never thought Punk/Hardcore Crossover could be: Neo-Classical in the ANUS lens and definition. Lyrically, the theme of "Darkness" is presented uniquely in the mediums of topics such as gang warfare, urban violence, depression/suicidal emotions and nationalism in a country/genre that scorns the very idea of such.

I never got too much into Type-O-Negative, but from the two albums I own it doesn't seem like total shit. The first album, "Slow, Deep and Hard" apparently is unused Carnivore material with an stronger focus on urban doom and sludge. The other one I own is "October Rust" which seems like the Beatles gone Doompop with Ildjarn playing keyboards.

I am not saddened by Peter Steele's passing because if he truly was a Heathen (which he so strongly professed during his career in TON), then according to his metaphysical paradigm, he was Valhalla-bound.

I knew Type O Negative since their debut album, I knew of Carnivore but was a little too caught up in their "barbaric" image back then to take them serious. I thought (and still think) that Type O have some good songs but I generally don't sit down to listen to complete albums by them. After their song "My Girlfriends Girlfriend" and the subsequent promoting of Peter Steele as a sexsymbol leading to the Playgirl shoots and Peter being on several talkshows I thought I could never take this band serious. But seeing him in Bill Zebub's Death Metal documentary changed my mind about him too, the things he says about his relationship with Roadrunner Records reveal what goes on behind the facade of being a "rockstar" and he seems like a very cynical but humorous man. I would have added a link to it but couldn't find the separate interview so I'll just have to recommend people to look that documentary up (it's on youtube)

Less than a year ago I started giving Carnivore a new chance and I liked it. But just listening to one song of Retaliation can give a wrong impression, the whole album is an experience on its own! (I think there used to be an anus review of it but I could be mistaken)

"Everyone is here for some greater good, and it doesn't have to be your own or my own - we're all part of God's plan... And... I pray - and this is gonna sound very strange - I pray for more pain. Because God always gives the heaviest stones to those who can lift them. And my name Peter happens to mean rock."

I'm curious as to where this quote comes from. I quite like it, and Google isn't turning anything up at the moment.

"Everyone is here for some greater good, and it doesn't have to be your own or my own - we're all part of God's plan... And... I pray - and this is gonna sound very strange - I pray for more pain. Because God always gives the heaviest stones to those who can lift them. And my name Peter happens to mean rock."

I'm curious as to where this quote comes from. I quite like it, and Google isn't turning anything up at the moment.

"Everyone is here for some greater good, and it doesn't have to be your own or my own - we're all part of God's plan... And... I pray - and this is gonna sound very strange - I pray for more pain. Because God always gives the heaviest stones to those who can lift them. And my name Peter happens to mean rock."

I'm curious as to where this quote comes from. I quite like it, and Google isn't turning anything up at the moment.

"Everyone is here for some greater good, and it doesn't have to be your own or my own - we're all part of God's plan... And... I pray - and this is gonna sound very strange - I pray for more pain. Because God always gives the heaviest stones to those who can lift them. And my name Peter happens to mean rock."

Never heard of peter guy, never listened to type o negative, but I liked the quote. Especially because my name is pedro (peter), and that was my father's exact intention.

Pedro Marcus (mark of the rock, altought I don't know if marcus has anything to do with mark)